


It Felt Like It Would Last Forever

by Goldy



Category: Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Caroline Forbes & Stefan Salvatore Friendship, F/M, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-06
Updated: 2013-07-06
Packaged: 2017-12-17 21:36:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/872207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Goldy/pseuds/Goldy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Caroline and Stefan discuss Twilight. Among other topics. Set at some undetermined point in the future.</p>
            </blockquote>





	It Felt Like It Would Last Forever

**Author's Note:**

> Written mid-Season 2.

“I liked the Kristin Stewart versions better,” said Caroline as they exited the theatre. “They were more... authentic.”

“Authentic?” said Stefan. He stopped, hands shoved into his back pockets, eyebrows furrowing. 

Ah, his Disappointed Face, Caroline noted. Boy, was she in for a lecture. 

Sure enough, he took a deep breath and started in. “Caroline, you know nothing about these movies is ‘authentic,’ don’t you? I mean, first of all, vampires don’t sparkle. And second of all...” he trailed off, like his next thought was too horrific to contemplate for long. He continued in a pinched voice. “He ate a baby out of her womb.”

“Yes, Stefan, I am aware of what us vampires can and cannot do. Having been one myself for a number of years now.” She paused. “Besides, it’s not about that. It’s about... you know, escapism and stuff. Disappearing into another world. A world with _really_ hot guys.”

“I live in the vampire world all the time, I don’t have to disappear into it,” he said and then stalked off, arms folded over his chest. 

Caroline stared at his departing back, nibbling on her bottom lip. After waiting a moment, she rushed to catch up to him. “But you always come see them with me,” she said, bumping into his side and flashing him a wide smile. “Every time.”

He looked like he was trying to stay annoyed, but then his lips twitched. “Well, I don’t seem to get many other invitations these days,” he said. “And you can be very persuasive.”

And suddenly, like someone had flicked a switch, he looked so _sad_. Caroline felt a lump rise in her throat. She had a feeling he’d been trying to rein it in all day.

“Or maybe,” she said, “you’re just a good friend.”

He nodded, but it was as if he’d only half heard her. He was staring at a point over her shoulder, jaw clenched tightly together. 

“Stefan.” Caroline touched his arm and he slowly fixed his gaze on her, looking lost and sad and helpless. She felt her own grief rise inside of her but she pushed it away. “It’s okay to miss her.”

He gave a small, self-deprecating nod. “I do. All the time.”

“I know,” she whispered. “But today is different. Today is the day she—”

He gave her such a _look_ that Caroline slammed her mouth shut. But whatever dam Stefan had been trying to keep closed seemed to open up. 

“Sometimes I think about all those years Damon spent believing that Katherine was in the tomb. She wasn’t with him, but she was still just out of reach. He could delude himself into thinking that they would be together one day.” He looked away again, mouth drawn into a tight line. “I always wondered how he could be that stupid. To actually think that he would rescue her and they would go riding off together...” he dropped his voice. “But now I know. I would give anything to have that small hope.”

“That’s not true,” Caroline said. “You wouldn’t want that for Elena. Never.” Her voice rose. “You wouldn’t even change her into a vampire, not even to save her, _because she asked you not to_. Stefan—” She grabbed both his arms and waited until he was looking at her. “And look at you, you’re.... okay, ‘moving on’ isn’t the right word choice, but you’re still here! You came out to a movie tonight. You _smiled_.” She paused and gave him a severe look. “Elena would want you to smile.”

He sighed and then scratched the back of his neck, squinting into the setting sun. He sounded tired when he said, “I know. You’re right.”

“I’m always right,” Caroline said, and then, because she couldn’t stand to keep looking into his kicked puppy dog eyes, she put her arms around him and hugged him tightly. It took him a moment, but then he hugged her back. 

They stood quietly, neither of them speaking, arms around each other. Other moviegoers walked around them, pausing to shoot them mystified looks before entering the theatre. A few people made cat-calls and Caroline resisted the urge to turn around and tell them off. It had never been like that between her and Stefan, but the thought of it _now_ made it seem even more wrong. 

She broke the silence first. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” Stefan said, pulling away and discreetly wiping at his cheeks. He cleared his throat. “It always felt like it would last forever. That she would never...” he trailed off. “Well, I know better now.”

“I know,” Caroline whispered, heavy heart going through her own mental catalogue of all the people she had lost over the years. It had seemed like such a long way off when she had first turned—she hadn’t even finished high school yet. But now it wasn’t just Elena—it was Bonnie and Tyler and Alaric and Jenna. Last she’d heard, Matt was still alive, but she hadn’t seen him in years. After doing everything they could to keep him in the dark, she wasn’t about to ruin it by showing up on his doorstep, looking like the same seventeen-year-old Caroline he once knew. 

There was still Jeremy and there was an unspoken agreement among her, Stefan, and Damon that they would die before letting anything bad happen to Jeremy, but that was it. The last of the people she had grown up with.

No wonder vampires had cultivated such a reputation for sticking to themselves. 

So she linked her arm through Stefan’s and turned to smile at him. “Come on,” she said, “I’ll buy you dinner.”

He blinked. “Caroline, we don’t eat.”

“A nice rare, juicy steak,” she said. “That sounds good, doesn’t it? Yeah, that sounds good.” Then she added, “You can tell me about how Stephenie Meyer never answered your fan mail.”

“It wasn’t fan mail!” he yelped. “I had... very legitimate concerns and obviously she never took them seriously.”

“I know,” Caroline said soothingly. “It must have been so hard on you.”

“It was,” said Stefan, but the smile was back and Caroline felt her heart lift. 

“And just think,” she said, leading him forward. “You’ll always have me. And Damon—who will always be there to make your life just a little more miserable. Comforting, isn’t it?”

Stefan sighed dramatically. “Yes, you always know just what to say to cheer me up.”


End file.
